The Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs have been dealt a massive blow for their next month of football after it was confirmed that backrower Jacob Preston has a hairline fracture in his jaw.
Preston was taken from the field late in the first half during his side’s clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday afternoon after he was sandwiched between Shaq Mitchell and Stephen Crichton’s shoulders.
Jacob Preston stayed down for close to 2 minutes after the head contact below, yet was allowed to return to play! @NRL do you take this stuff seriously and @NRL_Bulldogs ? Surely Jacob should have sat out the remainder of the game for his welfare. #NRLSouthsBulldogs pic.twitter.com/dbjg3uYZU8
— Hynesight (@Hynesight7) March 29, 2024
The 22-year-old was visibly shaken by the hit and was removed from the game to undergo a HIA, which he surprisingly passed and returned to action.
However, the damage from the shot had already been done as the Sydney Morning Herald’s Adrian Proszenko reports Preston suffered a jaw fracture from the incident.
“He came off the field, underwent a HIA, got cleared and he went back on the field,” Proszenko told SEN 1170 NRL Crunch Time.
“What we just learnt is that he went back onto the field with a broken jaw, he had a hairline fracture in his jaw, he had scans today which confirmed it. “He’s going to be missing for probably at least three weeks and it’s fair to say he was probably a bolter for (the) NSW Blues side.
“So, it’s a massive setback for Canterbury, which is really sad news for him and the club.
“He was still giving interviews to the press after the game, he said he was fine after the game then he’s woken up a bit sore and they thought they’d double check and lucky they did.
“It talks to the toughness of these guys.”
If Preston is only to miss three weeks, he would be fit to return when the Bulldogs have a bye week, meaning his first game would be the Round Nine clash against the Wests Tigers.